200 THE OCEAN. 
“The group of wretched Flying-fish, thus hotly 
pursued, at length dropped into the sea; but we 
were rejoiced to observe that they merely touched 
the top of the swell, and scarcely sunk in it; at 
least, they instantly set off again in a fresh and even 
more vigorous flight. It was particularly interest- 
ing to observe, that the direction they now took 
was quite different from the one in which they had 
set out, implying but too obviously that they had 
detected their fierce enemy, who was following them 
with giant steps along the waves, and now gaining 
rapidly upon them. His terrific pace, indeed, was 
two or three times as swift as theirs, poor little 
things! 
“The greedy Dolphin, however, was fully as 
quick-sighted as the Flying-fish which were trying 
to elude him; for, whenever they varied their flight 
in the smallest degree, he lost not the tenth part of 
a second in shaping a new course, so as to cut off 
the chase; while they, in a manner really not un- 
like that of the hare, doubled more than once upon 
their pursuer. But it was soon too plainly to be 
seen that the strength and confidence of the Flying- 
fish were fast ebbing. Their flights became shorter 
and shorter, and their course more fluttering and 
uncertain, while the enormous leaps of the Dolphin 
appeared to grow only more vigorous at each bound. 
Eventually, indeed, we could see, or fancied that 
we could see, that this skilful sea-sportsman ar- 
ranged all his springs with such an assurance of suc- 
cess, that he contrived to fall, at the end of each, 
just under the very spot on which the exhausted Fly- 
